Coronavirus

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September 8, 2020 Coronavirus

There is widespread anticipation of the availability of vaccines to prevent COVID-19 infections so that Americans can get their lives back to some semblance of normal. About four dozen, made with a variety of technology platforms, are now in clinical trials, nine in large-scale safety/efficacy testing. It was hardly a secret that there would be intense pressure on the FDA from a White House desperate for good news to provide an “October Surprise” in the form of a vaccine approval before...

September 8, 2020 Coronavirus

There is widespread anticipation of vaccines to prevent COVID-19 infections so that Americans can get their lives back to some semblance of normal. About four dozen, made with a variety of technology platforms, are now in clinical trials, nine in large-scale safety/efficacy testing. Vaccines have also assumed unprecedented political importance. The Washington Post reported on Sunday: “President Trump is so fixated on finding a vaccine for the novel coronavirus that in meetings about the U.S. pandemic response, little else captures his attention, according to administration...

September 2, 2020 Coronavirus

Nearly three dozen attorneys general are attempting a legal act of theft. This month, attorneys general from 31 states, American Samoa, Guam and the District of Columbia sent a letter to the heads of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration asking the federal government to revoke Gilead Sciences ’ patent for remdesivir, an antiviral drug shown to reduce mortality in patients with Covid-19. The attorneys general effectively assert...

August 31, 2020 Coronavirus

While discussing many pandemic-related issues with friends and colleagues, we were reminded of the quip of journalist and satirist H.L. Mencken: “For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.” As we battle the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and the illness it causes, COVID-19, the “fog of war” continues on both the medical and epidemiological fronts. On the public health side, different studies, especially those that involve modeling, seem to reach conflicting, or at least ambiguous, conclusions. And...

August 28, 2020 Coronavirus

There is widespread anticipation of the availability of vaccines to prevent COVID-19 infections so that Americans can get their lives back to some semblance of normal.  Some three dozen vaccines, made with a variety of technology platforms, are now in clinical trials. Several of the more promising development programs have been accelerated by a White House crash program, “Operation Warp Speed,” which was launched in May. It was no secret that there would be intense pressure on the FDA from a White House...

August 26, 2020 Blog, Coronavirus

The newest tool to fight coronavirus could be coming soon to your neighborhood retailer. This month, Walgreens announced it will partner with Village MD to open primary care clinics in 500 to 700 stores over the next five years. The drug chain is joining the likes of Walmart, CVS and Amazon to bring retail health clinics to the masses. By increasing the supply of care available to consumers, these new clinics will help lead to lower prices throughout the rest of the...

August 24, 2020 Coronavirus

Dr. Henry Miller, M.S., M.D., joins the John Batchelor Show for his regular update on the coronavirus pandemic and COVID-19 impact on how an eventual vaccine would be distributed. Miller talks about a recent op-ed he wrote that details the dilemma vaccine makers and the government face when it comes time to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine first by breaking down different populations that need access to the vaccine first. Batchelor and Miller also talk about the impact of the election year...

August 18, 2020 Coronavirus

PRI's Dr. Wayne Winegarden joins the Pegasus Institute to discuss the danger of price controls in health care including hurting rural health care providers and threatening the already thin margins many hospitals operate on. Winegarden also talks about the impact of the coronavirus and COVID-19. Pegasus Institute · The Problem With Price Controls in Healthcare with Wayne Winegarden of Pacific Research Institute...

August 17, 2020 Coronavirus

Last August, Chris Walcroft, a 50-year old Canadian father of two, was told that he would be dead within a year without dialysis, according to reporting from CTV News. His kidneys were failing. His doctor scheduled a surgery for mid-March to implant a fistula, which is necessary for dialysis. Modern medical technology would afford Walcroft a chance to see his kids graduate from high school. Then the pandemic came. The Canadian government mandated across-the-board delays of "elective" surgeries to shore up personnel...

August 16, 2020 Coronavirus

Here’s a thought experiment: after the RMS Titanic collided with an iceberg, it became necessary to allocate seats on the lifeboats; there were only about 700 places for the 2208 passengers. What if seats had been auctioned, with the price determined by supply and demand—i.e., by market forces? Clearly, the wealthiest would have crowded out the others. Instead, the Captain decided that women and children should take precedence. Of course, children had the most life to lose, but why women...

August 14, 2020 Coronavirus

The value of innovative medicines has absolutely nothing to do with its cost of production. Yet, not only does this myth persist, it appears to be growing. In the latest example, an article in the Journal of Virus Eradication claims that drugs being repurposed in the hopes they might be effective treatments for Covid-19, such as remdesivir and sofosbuvir, could be profitable at very low costs. How do the authors come up with this conclusion? They claim that the costs of production range between...

August 12, 2020 Coronavirus

here is widespread anticipation of publicly available vaccines to prevent COVID-19 infections, so that we can “get back to normal.” Some three dozen, made with a variety of technology platforms, are in clinical trials. Several of the more promising vaccine development programs have been assisted by a White House crash program, “Operation Warp Speed,” which was launched in May. At the announcement, President Donald Trump said the goal would be to have 300 million doses of a vaccine available by the end of this year. Unfortunately, but inevitably,...

August 12, 2020 Coronavirus

Dr. Henry Miller joins the nationally-syndicated Lars Larson Show to get an update on everything COVID-19. Miller and Larson discuss the status of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump Administration's initiative to develop a coronavirus vaccine. Miller explains that the FDA said they will be very transparent as data and testing becomes finalized and he thinks there is reason to be optimistic about rapid development of a virus that is thoroughly reviewed. Miller also talks about the lack of data in international...

August 10, 2020 Coronavirus

Last week, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci urged states with rising COVID-19 rates to consider a new round of lockdown restrictions. "You may need to pause, you may need to drop back a little bit," Fauci said. "I don't think you necessarily have to revert to go all the way back to reclosing." As they try to get the coronavirus' spread under control, states must resist the urge to impose blanket stay-at-home orders. Such draconian measures can cause people to postpone important medical care...

August 5, 2020 Coronavirus

By: Henry I. Miller, M.S., M.D., Kathleen L. Hefferon, Justin R. St. Juliana Like most institutions in American society, academia has been badly shaken by Covid-19. Many universities in the Northeast abruptly closed as the pandemic accelerated. Students were sent home, which in some cases involved returning to the other side of the globe. Faculty and staff at many institutions were offered emergency training workshops on everything from supporting student mental health to how to use video-conferencing platforms. Even before the pandemic,...

August 3, 2020 Coronavirus

As Americans eagerly anticipate a COVID-19 vaccine, there's troubling new evidence that they're failing to get inoculated against other infectious diseases. To get vaccination rates back where they need to be, policymakers must remind the public of the importance of routine immunizations and remove the regulatory barriers that make it difficult for people to get their shots. A recent study of patients in Michigan found a significant reduction in vaccinations among all age groups. As of late May, fewer than half of...

July 31, 2020 Coronavirus

There is widespread anticipation of vaccines to prevent COVID-19 infections so life can “get back to normal.” Some three dozen vaccines, made with a variety of technology platforms, or approaches (naked RNA, weakened or killed viruses, hybrid viruses, subunit vaccines, etc.), are now in clinical trials. Many of these vaccine development programs have been assisted by a White House crash program, “Operation Warp Speed,” which was launched in May. At the announcement, President Trump said the goal would be to have 300 million doses of a...

July 30, 2020 Coronavirus

Title: Trump's proposed executive orders on drug pricing may hinder R&D and drug development Jeff Lagasse, Associate Editor, Health Care Finance Recently, President Trump proposed four different executive orders aimed at lowering drug prices in a move that some see as calculated to secure votes from seniors in the run-up to November's presidential election. There's no doubt that drug prices have become a challenge for many Americans, but as finer details of the executive orders have yet to emerge, it's unclear whether...

July 23, 2020 Coronavirus, Issues

Despite the surge of new cases of COVID-19, increases in the percentage of positive tests, and scores of ICUs at or near capacity, some commentators are still saying things like, “The so-called surge in cases is more fake news pushed by media cheerleaders eager to destroy the U.S. economy and culture if it makes Trump a one-term president,” and “in fact, our pandemic nightmare might well be coming to an end.” They and others emphasize that the daily number of Covid-19...

July 22, 2020 Coronavirus

Dr. Henry Miller talks about new symptoms showing up in those infected with COVID-19, some of which are different than the initial ones noticed at the start of the pandemic. Miller explains the findings come from different studies, including an Italian study that showed many continuing symptoms after the coronavirus pandemic passed. Lars Larson National Podcast · Lars Larson National Podcast 07-21-20...